About Portland Renovations · Portland
Portland Renovations, Inc. is a professional design-build construction company based in Portland, Maine, focusing on modern, durable, highly designed structures tailored to each client's needs. Founded in 2001 by Robert 'Bob' Van Wert, a Registered Landscape Architect, the firm grew out of his earlier career working with Michael Boucher Landscape Architecture and on landmark projects such as the New York Botanical Garden Everett Children's Adventure Garden and the Amangiri Resort in Utah. The company specializes in custom residential design-build work, including modern new homes, additions, whole-home renovations, kitchens, bathrooms, and bespoke cabinetry built in its own shop.
Portland Renovations, Inc. is a design-build general contracting company serving Portland, Maine and the surrounding region. Founded in 2001 by Robert 'Bob' Van Wert, RLA — a West Virginia University graduate in Landscape Architecture (class of 1994) — the company brings the rigor of large-scale landscape architectural project management to intimate residential work. Before relocating to Maine, Van Wert practiced for five years with MKW (Miceli Kulik Williams) in New Jersey and New York, contributing to major private, municipal, state, university, and government projects, and later spent time at Michael Boucher Landscape Architecture, where he was exposed to Maine's leading architects and high-end modern design. His career has spanned projects at every scale, from the New York Botanical Garden Everett Children's Adventure Garden and the Amangiri Resort in Kane County, Utah, down to custom Maine kitchens, vanities, handrails, steel staircases, and built-ins — every piece of which is drawn in CAD and fabricated in the company's own shop for tight quality control. Today, with two to three employees and an A+ BBB rating, Portland Renovations delivers a fully integrated design-and-build process that includes architectural space planning, landscape architecture, permit handling, structural and civil coordination, energy auditing, and interior detailing, producing modern, durable, energy-efficient homes and additions for clients who want an architect-level product without the fragmentation of separate design and construction teams.
- In business
- 25 years (founded 2001; incorporated 2005)
- Owner
- Robert 'Bob' Van Wert, RLA — President and Owner
- Serves
- Portland, Maine and surrounding areas in southern Maine (projects handled wherever permitted, including the City of Portland and beyond)
- Rating
- 5.0 across review platforms (6 reviews on ProsGrade, 7 reviews on Porch, A+ BBB rating)
About Portland Renovations
Portland Renovations, Inc. is a professional design-build construction company that has been building modern, durable, highly customized structures and spaces since 2001. The company's guiding principles rest on a collaborative design background, disciplined project management, and a high level of client service. Founder and president Robert 'Bob' Van Wert brings the planning rigor of a Registered Landscape Architect to residential construction, ensuring that every project — from a kitchen remodel to a new home — is thoughtfully designed, carefully detailed, and built to last.
Owner Background: Robert 'Bob' Van Wert, RLA
Bob Van Wert founded Portland Renovations after a career in landscape architecture that took him from New Jersey and New York to Maine. He graduated from West Virginia University in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture and spent five years at MKW (Miceli Kulik Williams) working on large-scale private, municipal, state, university, and government projects — including the New York Botanical Garden Everett Children's Adventure Garden in the Bronx. After relocating to Maine, he joined Michael Boucher Landscape Architecture, where he collaborated with leading architects on high-end modern residential and resort work, including the Amangiri Resort in Kane County, Utah. Those experiences shaped his move from landscape architecture into design-build construction.
- BS Landscape Architecture, West Virginia University, 1994
- Five years at MKW (Miceli Kulik Williams) in NJ/NY
- Worked on New York Botanical Garden Everett Children's Adventure Garden
- Time at Michael Boucher Landscape Architecture in Maine
- Project involvement on the Amangiri Resort, Kane County, Utah
- Experience on projects with budgets of $50M and above before focusing on residential
Design-Build Services
Portland Renovations provides integrated design and construction services so clients do not have to manage separate architects and builders. The work begins with a Design Services phase — a separate contract that produces a full set of working drawings suitable for permit submission, a detailed cost estimate, and full specifications for the building envelope, weather barriers, insulation, windows, doors, flooring, cabinetry, lighting, plumbing, hardware, and every other component.
- Design services (separate from construction contract)
- Detailed cost estimating and working drawings
- Permit-ready construction documents
- Coordination with structural, civil, and energy consultants
- Permit processing for the City of Portland and other jurisdictions
In-House Fabrication Shop
Nearly all of the visible millwork and metalwork in Portland Renovations projects is built in the company's own shop. Kitchens, vanities, handrails, steel staircases, built-ins, and media walls all begin as CAD drawings and are fabricated under the firm's direct quality control. This shop-driven process keeps schedules organized, allows clients to review full-scale mock-ups, and enables mid-design changes to cabinet layout, sizing, finishes, and hardware compatibility that would be impossible if the work were outsourced.
- CAD-based shop drawings for every component
- Full-scale client review during fabrication
- Direct quality control over cabinetry, handrails, and steelwork
- Easier mid-project changes and finish selections
Modern, Energy-Efficient Construction
Portland Renovations designs and builds modern structures that are meant to be durable, energy efficient, and healthy — without letting 'green' marketing dictate the architecture. Where the project budget allows, the firm uses blower-door testing for air tightness, installs ERVs (energy recovery ventilators) for clean indoor air quality, and specifies products appropriate for a long service life. The aesthetic remains firmly modern and client-specific; sustainability is built into the details rather than used as a design slogan.
- Modern new homes, additions, and renovations
- Blower-door air-tightness testing when feasible
- ERV installation for indoor air quality
- Durable, long-life material specifications
Project Types
The firm's portfolio spans the full range of modern residential work, with projects labeled on the website's work pages in neighborhood names such as Monument Square, East Bayside, Berwick, Howard, Lafayette, Pilot, and Carroll. Reviews describe whole-home remodels of a circa-1870 home completed over two years with a tenant in place, additions and renovations in East Bayside, and high-design modern kitchens and bathrooms for clients who expect architect-level detailing.
- Modern new home construction
- Whole-home remodels (including 1870s-era historic homes)
- Additions and second-story expansions
- Kitchen and bathroom remodels
- Custom cabinetry, built-ins, and media walls
- Custom handrails and steel staircases
- Furniture and large-piece commissions
Client Experience
Clients consistently describe Bob Van Wert as a hands-on principal who communicates clearly, adapts when plans change during a long remodel, and brings his own design expertise to refine their ideas. Reviews emphasize his patience with iteration, the cleanliness of the job site, and his willingness to take on additional scope mid-project. The firm is small by design — typically three employees — so the owner is directly involved in nearly every project.
- Direct owner involvement on every project
- Clear, consistent client communication
- Flexibility for mid-project design changes
- Clean, organized job sites
Service Area and Company Details
Portland Renovations is headquartered in Portland, Maine and serves clients across southern Maine. The company is incorporated in Maine (incorporated 1/6/2005), holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, and has been BBB-listed since 2006. It operates with a small core team and reports an industry classification of Wholesale Building Materials on LinkedIn, with SIC 15/152 and NAICS 23/236 designations.
- Headquarters: Portland, Maine
- Maine corporation, incorporated 1/6/2005
- BBB file opened 3/7/2006
- A+ BBB rating (not BBB Accredited)
- Approximately 3 employees
- NAICS 23 / 236; SIC 15 / 152
Contact
Inquiries, project consultations, and design-phase discussions are best initiated by phone or email. The office is located at 151 Walton Street, Suite 2, Portland, Maine 04103. Mailing address on the BBB profile is 107 Anderson St, Portland, ME 04101-2584.
- Phone: 207-775-2267
- Email: [email protected]
- Office: 151 Walton Street, Suite 2, Portland, ME 04103
- Mailing: 107 Anderson St, Portland, ME 04101-2584
- Website: https://portlandrenovations.com/